Method and apparatus for the purification of exhaust gas from a compression ignition engine

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for the removal of NO 2  emission from a lean burn compression ignition engine, wherein NO 2  containing engine exhaust gas is brought in contact with a catalyst being active in the reduction of NO 2  to NO and comprising at least one platinum group metal with the proviso that the platinum metal is not platinum and at least one redox active metal oxide and thereby reducing NO 2  contained in the exhaust gas to NO by reaction with CO, hydrocarbons and/or soot being present in the exhaust gas.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the purification of exhaust gas from a lean burn compression ignition engine such as a diesel engine and an apparatus for use in that method. In particular, the invention is directed to removal of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) by reduction to nitrogen monoxide (NO) when reacting the dioxide with carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and/or soot being contained in the exhaust gas in presence of a catalyst. The apparatus being suitable for employment in the method comprises a particulate filter being coated with that catalyst.

The invention is in particular useful in connection with lean burn compression ignition engines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional lean burn compression ignition engines such as diesel engines produce diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions including soot and volatile and soluble organic fractions. Future legislated limits for PM require the installation of a particulate filter in the exhaust system.

A known problem with soot filters is that they are plugged with soot during operation, which requires continuous or periodical regeneration to prevent excessive pressure drop over the filter. Periodical regeneration is conventionally performed by increasing the temperature in the exhaust system to a temperature, where the captured soot is oxidized to gaseous components and thus removed from the filter.

Typically, the required temperature increase is obtained by injecting extra fuel, which is burned over a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) placed in the exhaust system upstream the filter. A DOC is already installed in many diesel vehicles to meet the emissions limits for hydrocarbons and CO. Both the increased pressure drop over the filter and the periodical regeneration gives rise to a fuel penalty compared to an engine exhaust gas system without a particulate filter.

Different systems have been developed in order to lower this fuel penalty. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,487, which has been commercialized as the “Continuously Regenerating Trap”. In this system NO₂ is used for combusting diesel particulate deposited on a filter at lower temperature than possible with oxygen also available in the gas. NO₂ is obtained by oxidising NO being present in the exhaust gas over a suitable catalyst placed upstream of the filter. This NO oxidation catalyst typically contains Pt, which is known as an excellent NO oxidation catalyst. To further increase the NO₂ content in the exhaust gas, filters have also been coated with a Pt containing catalyst. As a disadvantage of such systems, NO₂ can slip past the filter and be undesirably exhausted to atmosphere, when there is insufficient PM on the filter to react with NO₂ generated over the oxidation catalyst or the temperature of the exhaust gas is below a preferred range for combustion of PM in NO₂.

DE102005027063A1 discloses a device for after treatment of oxygen containing exhaust gases of internal combustion engine has nitrogen dioxide reduction catalytic converter which is provided as part at flow end of exhaust gas after treatment device being provided with an oxygenation catalyst and/or a soot filter. The SCR catalyst for the reduction of nitrogen dioxide contains is impregnated with small amounts of platinum metals.

WO06040533A1 relates to decomposition of nitrogen dioxide to nitrogen monoxide in lean-burn internal combustion engine by contacting acidic metal oxide with exhaust gas. The acidic metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of zeolites, tungsten-doped titania, silica-titania, zirconia-titania, gamma-alumina, amorphous silica-alumina and mixtures thereof.

NO₂ is toxic in low doses. It is apprehensive that the levels of NO₂ in European cities and highways increase [See presentations from “NO₂ Workshop, Munich February 2006”]. Legislative authorities have therefore begun to discuss limiting the amount of NO₂ to an acceptable level being permissible in the exhaust gas. For example the yearly average downtown Stuttgart was in 2004 68 μg/m³, which by order shall be reduced to a limit of 40 μg/m³ NO₂ (yearly average) in Stuttgart in 2010. Accordingly, it is presumed that reduction of both PM and NO₂ in exhaust gas emissions to the atmosphere will be required by law.

It is thus a general object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the substantial reduction of NO₂ and preferably NO₂ and PM in the exhaust gas from a compression ignition engine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

Pursuant to the above general object, this invention provides a method for the removal of NO₂ emission from a lean burn compression ignition engine, wherein NO₂ containing engine exhaust gas is brought in contact with a catalyst being active in the reduction of NO₂ to NO and comprising at least one platinum group metal with the proviso that the platinum metal is not platinum and at least one redox active metal oxide, thereby reducing NO₂ contained in the exhaust gas to NO by reaction with CO, hydrocarbons and/or soot being present in the exhaust gas.

Preferred embodiments of the inventive method are disclosed in the detailed description of the invention.

The invention provides furthermore an apparatus for use in the above method. The apparatus comprises in its most general form an engine exhaust gas system being provided with a catalyst being effective in reaction of NO₂ with CO, HC and/or soot to NO, wherein the catalyst comprises at least one platinum group metal with the proviso that the platinum metal is not platinum and at least one redox active metal oxide.

Preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are disclosed in and apparent from the detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the filter of the present invention placed in the exhaust system of a lean burn compression ignition engine, with a diesel oxidation catalyst between the engine and the filter;

FIG. 2 shows the filter of the present invention placed in the exhaust system of a lean burn compression ignition engine, without a diesel oxidation catalyst between the engine and the filter; and

FIG. 3 is a graph showing measured concentrations of NO₂ plotted as a function of the filter temperature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the NO₂ reduction catalyst is coated on a diesel particulate filter. This filter may be any known type such as a ceramic wall-flow monolith filter, ceramic fibre filter or a sinter metal filter. The main components of the wallflow monclith filter are preferable silicon carbide, cordierite or alumina titanate.

The catalytic coat comprises preferably palladium in an amount of 0.2 to 5 g/L filter and more preferably 0.5 to 2 g/L filter.

The catalytic coat also contains at least one redox active oxide. Redox active meaning the metal is capable of existing in different oxidation states. The preferred amount of redox active oxide is 1 to 100 g/L filter and more preferably 5 to 60 g/L filter.

Preferred oxides are MnO₂, Fe₂O₃, SnO₂, PrO₂, and CeO₂. The most preferable redox active oxide is CeO₂.

Optionally the catalytic coat and the redox active metal oxides are stabilized with one or more oxides selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, WO₃, SiO₂, HfO₂, ZrO₂, MgO, CaO, Al₂O₃, La₂O₃ and BaO.

When the oxide is CeO₂, the most preferred stabilising oxide is ZrO₂.

The components of the catalytic coat can be applied to the filter with any method known in the art. These methods include the sequence of washcoating, impregnation, drying, calcination and reduction. The catalyst can be arranged inside the filter wall and/or outside of the filter wall.

In one embodiment of the invention this filter is placed in the exhaust system of a lean burn compression ignition engine, e.g. a diesel engine, as shown in FIG. 1, where

(1) is a lean burn compression ignition engine, optionally including a system for injection of extra fuel to raise the exhaust temperature for regeneration of the particulate filter by burning soot and optionally including a system for injecting fuel borne catalyst for lowering the soot burning temperature in the particulate filter;

(2) is a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) supported on a flow through monolith capable of oxidising hydrocarbons and CO for lowering the emission of these components and for increasing the exhaust temperature if extra fuel is injected to regenerate the particulate filter. The DOC can optionally also oxidise NO to NO₂ in order to continuously oxidise soot at lower temperature via NO₂;

(3) is a particulate filter coated according to the present invention, which results in a reduction of the amount of NO₂ and PM emission. NO₂ is reduced to NO by reaction with CO, hydrocarbons and/or soot. The catalytic coat also reduces the temperature required to regenerate particulate filter.

In another embodiment of the invention this filter 3 is placed in the exhaust system of a lean burn compression ignition engine, e.g. a diesel engine as shown in FIG. 2. (1) is a lean burn compression ignition engine optionally including a system for injection of extra fuel to raise the exhaust temperature for regeneration of the particulate filter by burning soot and optionally including a system for injecting fuel borne catalyst for lowering the soot burning temperature in the particulate filter. (3) is the particulate filter coated according to the present invention, which results in a reduction of both NO₂ and PM emissions. NO₂ is mostly reduced to NO by reaction with reductants present in the exhaust gas. These reductants can be CO, hydrocarbons and soot. The catalytic coat also reduces the temperature required to regenerate particulate filter. Furthermore, the catalysed filter is capable of reducing the CO and hydrocarbon emissions.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A 3.3 L commercially available SiC wall flow diesel particulate filter is via conventional impregnation, drying and calcination steps coated with CeO₂, ZrO₂ and PdO inside the filter wall. The Ce content is 45 g/L filter, the Zr content 9.4 g/L filter and the Pd content is 1.5 g/L filter.

The filter is tested in the exhaust system of an engine bench equipped with a 1.4 L HDI engine from a Citroen C2-2004 model. The setup corresponds to FIG. 1. During the test the CO, hydrocarbon, NO and NO_(x) levels in the exhaust gas after passing the filter are monitored. The engine is run at 2500 rpm and the load is varied to determine the catalyst activity at different filter temperatures.

Measured concentrations of NO and NO₂ are summarized in Table 1 and in FIG. 3, where the NO₂ conversion obtained from comparison with measurements on an uncoated filter is plotted as a function of the filter temperature. The NO₂ concentration in the gas is determined by subtracting the NO concentration from the NO_(x) concentration. It is observed that all NO₂ is converted to mainly NO, when the filter temperature is below 300° C. and forms extra NO₂ when the filter temperature is above 300° C. During a standard driving cycle this leads to net removal of NO₂ since the exhaust temperature is mainly below 300° C. This is described in Example 2.

The capability of the filter to burn soot is quantified with the balance point temperature, which is the filter temperature, where the pressure drop over the filter is constant since the amount of soot caught by the filter equals the soot that is removed by oxidation. The balance point temperature is 400° C. For an uncoated filter this temperature is above 450° C. in the same engine bench test protocol.

The CO and hydrocarbon conversion rates are determined in the same way. The temperatures for 50% conversion of both exhaust components are lower than 200° C.

Table 1: NO and NO_(x) concentration measured in the engine bench described in Example 1 for an uncoated SiC wall flow particulate filter and the filter described in Example 1.

TABLE 1 Exit uncoated Exit coated filter of Example 1 Engine filter NO₂ power NO_(x) NO T Filter NO_(x) NO conversion (kW) (ppm) (ppm) (° C.) (ppm) (ppm) (%) 2 79 38 144 84 84 100 4 99 55 171 104 99 89 6 128 78 198 128 122 88 8 161 112 221 153 148 90 12 276 228 256 264 247 65 16 411 361 291 391 351 20 20 581 519 321 565 495 −13 24 733 661 358 700 590 −53 28 1017 875 376 1050 861 −33 32 1473 1242 407 1353 1097 −11

Example 2

A 3.3 L SiC wall flow filter coated with catalyst as described in Example 1 is used to replace an uncoated filter in a Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 L HDI—model year 2006. The filter is placed downstream of a Pt containing DOC catalyst. Fuel born catalyst is added to the diesel to lower the soot oxidation temperature. The setup corresponds to the one sketched in FIG. 2.

Before and after replacing the filter the vehicle is tested in the NEDC standardised driving cycle, while emissions are monitored. The accumulated results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Emissions measured in NEDC test on Citroen Xsara Picasso equipped with a 1.6 L HDI engine and with a Pt containing DOC upstream the filter. An uncoated particulate filter is compared to a catalyst coated filter as described in Example 1.

TABLE 2 NO₂ NEDC HC NO NO_(x) (NOx—NO) CO₂ CO PM test (g/km) (g/km) (g/km) (g/km) (g/km) (g/km) (g/km) Pt/DOC + 0.04 0.114 0.202 0.088 115 0.027 0.0028 Uncoated filter Pt/DOC + 0.00 0.159 0.183 0.024 116 0.024 0.0044 Filter coated with catalyst of Example 1 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for the removal of NO2 emission from a lean burn compression ignition diesel engine and regenerating a diesel particulate filter, the method comprising the steps of: providing a diesel particulate filter; providing a catalyst supported on or inside the walls of the diesel particulate filter, the catalyst being active in the reduction of NO2 to NO and consisting of palladium oxide and CeO2 stabilized with ZrO2; bringing NO2 containing diesel engine exhaust gas in contact with the catalyst in the diesel particulate filter and reducing the NO2 contained in the diesel exhaust gas to NO by reaction with soot present in the diesel exhaust gas; and catalyzing the oxidization of soot by reduction of NO2 to NO and reducing the amount of soot in the diesel particulate filter, thereby regenerating the diesel particulate filter.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein an oxidation catalyst is provided upstream of the diesel particulate filter.
 3. An apparatus for use in the method of claim 1, comprising a diesel engine exhaust gas system provided with a catalyst effective in reaction of NO2 with soot to NO, wherein the catalyst consists of palladium oxide and CeO2 stabilized with ZrO2, and wherein the catalyst is supported on or inside the walls of a diesel particulate filter. 